Love Hina: Forced Destiny
by shizaki
Summary: Keitaro has a secret that may make him give up on everything he has ever dreamt of? Can one ronin shape a new destiny for himself?
1. Haunted

I write a lot of supernatural stories relating to demon hunters but before you get turned off, there is no OTT action or really unrealistic scenes so please read and enjoy. I want as much feedback as possible, this is my first EVER fanfic.  
  
I do not own any part of Love Hina; if I did I would be rich and famous.  
  
*****FLASHBACK*****  
  
"Did you know that if two people who love each other go to Tokyo University, they'll live happily ever after?" the young girl asks the boy opposite her.  
  
"Really?" he replies, not sure if it were true.  
  
"When we grow up let's go to Tokyo University together!" she says to him as she plants a kiss on his cheek.  
  
*****END FLASHBACK*****  
  
15 years later and the boy in question, Keitaro Urashima, is strolling down the streets of Tokyo with an expression that can only be described as grim. Rain clouds loom in the distant and sirens can be heard nearby.  
  
"Are you still pursuing that pathetic promise?" a voice asks.  
  
"I see you're still hanging around", Keitaro snaps back, "don't you have anyone else's life to wreck?"  
  
"You know it doesn't matter what you do, it'll end the way I predicted.like it almost did already."  
  
Keitaro didn't answer him; instead he looks up a large set of stone steps he is climbing and at a large building coming into view.  
  
"So this is Hinata House?"  
  
"Indeed, I just hope I can rest up here for a while before any more of your friends arrive."  
  
"I'll take that as an insult."  
  
Keitaro tries the door and with ease opens it, looking into the lobby. "Hello, anyone here?"  
  
'Strange, seems empty' Keitaro thinks to himself, a word that he doesn't like using.  
  
"Grandma, I have a few problems; I need to study for my Tokyo U entrance exams. Can I stay here for a little while?"  
  
"Why bother studying? It won't do you any good."  
  
"Shut the hell up!" Keitaro hisses at the voice. "Where are Grandma and everyone else anyway?"  
  
The 19-yr-old studies the rooms suspiciously, watching and listening for any sign of movement. The more he concentrates, the less he likes it.  
  
"I don't like this, I come here from my parents' house and it's deserted, think there's a connection?"  
  
Keitaro gets no response and on noticing the 'Landlord's Room' sign above him, Keitaro makes his self comfortable, while waiting for someone to turn up.  
  
"You do know you're in the 48th percentile and bad at every subject you do? You don't play sports, have no special talents and your last relationship seems to be with a girl you made a promise too, one which she has probably forgotten all about! You should be thankful, I have come in useful a few times recently and you can't deny it!"  
  
Keitaro sighs, "So I'm almost top of the class then?" The troubled teenager stared off into space and thought about what had just happened before he arrived. It was true, if it wasn't for his mysterious ally, he would have died.  
  
Something catches his ear, a voice down a hallway, and without any hesitation, he proceeds to follow the noise until a single door is the only thing standing between the two. Sliding the door open with such force, Keitaro almost takes it off the rail.  
  
"Who's there?" he asks in a demanding voice then stops cold. Three girls are sitting half-naked in a hot spring. One, a long-haired brunette, the second, a black haired girl with a sword nearby and the third, a busty, short-haired brunette with a cup of sake in her hand.  
  
Keitaro steps back slightly, "sorry, wrong door!"  
  
"PERVERT!!!" is screamed by the long-haired brunette as he unsuccessfully tries to explain but does nothing but stutter.  
  
"Look out!"  
  
Out the corner of his eye, he spots one of the girls charging at him with a large sword and makes a forceful slash that destroys the whole doorway that he was standing in and the wall behind it.  
  
"This isn't normal." Keitaro thinks to himself as he stands one side of the doorway, crouched and facing the kendo girl.  
  
"You dodged it! I have to admit I underestimated you!" she compliments.  
  
"Barely..." he murmurs as he prepares to defend himself again.  
  
"What's with the noise?" a woman asks, stepping out of the ruined door frame.  
  
Keitaro turns and spots the familiar face. "Aunt Haruka!"  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"Absolutely not!" rants the angry brunette. "This is a girl's dorm; we can't let a pervert like you stay another minute!"  
  
Keitaro, his aunt and a group of girls are all sat in the main area.  
  
"It was an accident! I didn't expect half-naked girls to be roaming the place!"  
  
"Calm down, Naru!" her friend tells her.  
  
"Where's Grandma, if I ask her." Keitaro suggests but is cut short.  
  
"She's not here", his aunt declared, "she went on a world-wide sightseeing tour a year ago. We just get faxes from her once in a while. She's looking for new thrills so she took her failing hotel and turned it into a girl's dorm."  
  
Keitaro's face fell almost instantly. "This can't be happening.  
  
"Sorry, Keitaro, I know you'd have saved on rent here but the commute would've been hell!"  
  
Keitaro gave a false half-smile.  
  
"If I remember, you're at Tokyo U now, right? You'd be about a sophomore now."  
  
Keitaro looks to the ground with slight shame on his face, "actually I'm a 2nd year ronin."  
  
"A 2nd year ronin! What a loser!" the hateful brunette comments, happy to injure the pervert's ego.  
  
"I'm surprised at you Keitaro, you seemed determined to get in last time we met."  
  
"I'm having problems at home." he trailed off, trying not to let anything slip.  
  
The group of girls gathered could see something painful hidden in his expression.  
  
"By the way, be careful on the way home, there was an explosion in your area" his aunt warns.  
  
"I know. It was my house that exploded" he admitted glumly.  
  
Haruka raises an eyebrow. "Is there something you're not telling me?"  
  
"Something happened to me a short while ago and I need to get a grasp on my present situation. I'm begging you to let me stay here; I don't know how much longer I can keep on going!"  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Well, that was the first chapter, hope you all enjoyed it so far. All the questions will be answered soon like what happened at home, what happened to Keitaro and most important of all, who is the person Keitaro speaks to?  
  
Thanks for reading. 


	2. Origin

Thanks for the previous comments to chapter 1 but someone compared the story to something called World of Darkness: Demon ,The Fallen. I'm not familiar with this story so any similarities are purely coincidence.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"Keitaro, what happened?" Aunt Haruka asks concerned. "Where are your parents?"  
  
"They didn't make it out alive.only I survived it" he announces solemnly.  
  
There are gasps around the room as Keitaro answers this but he ignores them and turns to leave the dorm. "Thanks anyway, I'll be on my way."  
  
"Where will you be staying?" the sake-drinking girl asks him.  
  
She gets no reply from him except another step towards the door. He doesn't want to think about anything else right now.  
  
"Hold on a moment, Keitaro", his aunt declares, "I'll let you stay here temporarily on the condition that you work for your keep. Girls, is that okay with you?"  
  
The girls welcome him to Hinata House.  
  
"I hope you'll tell us what happened when you're ready, Keitaro" his aunt asks.  
  
"I hope so to" he declares.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Introducing himself to the girls of the dorm, one of the youngest girls, Shinobu Maehara, is instructed to show Keitaro to his room.  
  
"Dinner will be served soon" she tells him politely.  
  
"Oh.thanks." he replies, unsure whether he is hungry or not.  
  
She stops outside a room and slides the door open. "Here you go, Mr. Urashima!"  
  
Keitaro smiles on hearing this, "just call me Keitaro."  
  
The young girl smiles and blushes slightly before leaving him to unpack.  
  
Keitaro drops his bag and sits down on the floor, content with the chance to rest up.  
  
"Keitaro, you can't stay here for long, you do know that?" the mysterious voice tells him.  
  
Keitaro closes his eyes.  
  
*****FLASHBACK*****  
  
Three days earlier and Keitaro tosses and turns in his sleep, something haunting his dreams and disturbing his rest.  
  
On opening his eyes, Keitaro is no longer in his house but in a misty graveyard expanding for eternity over the horizon.  
  
"Where am I?" he wonders aloud.  
  
"You are in the eternal graveyard" someone answers.  
  
The teenager turns around to see a man standing there, dressed in a black robe, short sleeves showing strong, scarred arms. In one hand he carries a dagger type weapon attached to a long chain, which is wrapped around his other hand. His face holds an expression of sincerity and bluntness.  
  
"Who are you?" Keitaro asks cautiously.  
  
"My name is Montroel, I am a spirit from this land. This is where all those who die end up before they are sent to either Heaven or Hell. I am in need of your help."  
  
"My help, what can I do?" Keitaro asks, aware of his lack of talent.  
  
"I am a spiritual assassin and I have been granted a second chance on Earth to track down three of the deadliest demons known to this realm. They escaped by means of a powerful dark magic and are in Tokyo as we speak. I need a host for my soul so I can stop them."  
  
"A host.and by that you mean me?" Keitaro asks nervously, stepping back a bit.  
  
"We will share the one body, two minds, and two souls. Our souls will combine and make us into a supernatural alliance to stand up against them. We will be able to speak telepathically and your physical and mental capacity will increase greatly but I can only do so with your permission."  
  
"Why me of all people?"  
  
"I can only possess a selected type, one with a certain spiritual capacity, and you just happen to be one of those and what's more, you happen to be the nearest to the scene. Will you accept my soul?"  
  
Keitaro looks hard at the figure in front of him, can this be possible? There was only one way to find out. "Let's do this."  
  
As the two merge into one body, Keitaro feels his awareness increasing, his heart beating faster. He realises this is no dream and as he concentrates on what is happening, the transfer is complete.  
  
Keitaro opens his eyes and finds himself back in his room.  
  
"Hello?" he asks quietly, not wanting to sound crazy.  
  
"I'm here Keitaro" Montroel replies.  
  
"I feel so different.what's going on?" Keitaro asks, looking at his reflection.  
  
"You are now more powerful than most men on this planet. Your strength, speed, agility, stamina, intelligence, reflexes and most of all your sixth sense has been increased. I'll explain more later, however, get your belongings and get out of the house!"  
  
"What? Why?" Keitaro asks him, detecting the seriousness in his voice.  
  
"I've underestimated my enemy, they're here!"  
  
"What? Where?" Keitaro asks but his sixth sense kicks in and he whips his head in the direction of his bedroom door.  
  
"You sense that, it's their brainwaves, one of them is downstairs."  
  
Keitaro throws a few things together into a single bag and slips open his door. Peering cautiously out and down the hallway, Keitaro moves quietly towards the stairs. Still nothing physical in view despite his occurring telepathic warning, Keitaro looks down the stairs, the front door just beyond the flight.  
  
"I'm going for it!" Keitaro boldly declares.  
  
Dashing down the stairs, three at a time, Keitaro hits the bottom step only to have a huge, clawed hand swing out of the shadows and send him crashing into the dining room.  
  
Keitaro gets up to face his opponent, a demon with glowing red eyes, slightly taller than Keitaro and dark brown in skin colour and although it looked slow, it moves frighteningly fast.  
  
"Damn!" Keitaro exclaims as the beast tries to bite his arm off, leaping back to evade another swing from its' long, sharp claws.  
  
"Keitaro, focus on this fight, you need to win this. Use your sixth sense, you should be able to sense its' attacks!" his mentor advises.  
  
"Really? Cool!" Keitaro comments and as the demon attacks again; he ducks under the arm and launches a leg, catching it in the side of the ribs.  
  
"That was one of my moves" Montroel announces with a sense of pride. "You're learning my skills with some ease."  
  
Keitaro starts using his new skills to predict, evade and strike his opponent hard but the only thing he results in doing is making it angry.  
  
The demon decides to retaliate a different way and opening its mouth, launches a fiery ball towards him. The possessed teen narrowly avoids being burned alive by the powerful attack but the kitchen doesn't and explodes in a torrent of fire, propelling Keitaro forward and into the range of the demon.  
  
As the clawed hand comes down to finish him, Keitaro turns the fall into a roll and makes it behind the demon.  
  
"Keitaro! Get out of the house! NOW!!!" Montroel orders.  
  
The teen doesn't take a second to think otherwise and grabbing his bag at the bottom of the stairway, tries to unlock the door.  
  
"What are you doing? Use the window!" his ally scolds.  
  
"Oh, yeah, right!" Keitaro replies, feeling like an action movie star. "Fighting demons, jumping through windows, I have no insurance for this!"  
  
Then the flames hit the gas pipes.  
  
Keitaro looks desperately at the house. "MUM! DAD!"  
  
After a silence only broken by the burning wood, Montroel speaks. "I'm sorry Keitaro, they didn't make it. However, you need to leave now, we don't need witnesses."  
  
Keitaro stands for a moment staring at the raging inferno he once called home. "What will become of my life? What about my studies? What about my future?"  
  
"Your life has changed for good now; you have to be careful where you tread. I know all about your dreams but Tokyo U is a risk now. If you make it in, you will risk the life of everyone around you. Your parents were innocent; this was not meant to happen to them."  
  
"So.I'll never lead a normal life again, is that what you're saying? That I no longer have my own life?" Keitaro begins to yell.  
  
"Would you have let me possess you if you had known that?"  
  
"I won't let you choose my life; I will get into Tokyo U and." the youth vows.  
  
".fulfil your childhood promise? I wonder how long it will take for her to die?"  
  
Keitaro grits his teeth in anger, turns and runs from the scene.  
  
*****END OF FLASHBACK*****  
  
Keitaro opens his eyes again and looks towards the window at the dark clouds looming in the horizon. "A storm is coming."  
  
"The prophecy of Armanius is almost upon us."  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Another thrilling chapter done with, hope you all enjoyed it as much as part one. So who will survive the final encounter with the three demons and can Keitaro really take them on alone? And just who (or what) is Armanius? 


	3. Connection

Sorry I didn't post the third chapter sooner but first Microsoft Word vanished off my PC (what I use to write stories on) and then my computer was taken away for an upgrade but now I have a new and improved PC in my possession an so here's part 3, thanks for the comments so far. Anyone who has wrote a review for the 'Origin' chapter that is sitting alone, could they PLEASE add it to this 'Forced Destiny' as I will be deleting the stand- alone 'Origin' as it is already here. Thanks for the comments so far.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"Keitaro, may I come in?" a voice asks from outside.  
  
Keitaro looks towards his door. "Sure, come ahead."  
  
The door opens and Motoko stands there, dressed in her usual attire.  
  
"Can I help you with something?" the troubled ronin asks her.  
  
Closing the door, she sits opposite him and starts to speak. "I've been sensing some unusual vibes from you; your soul is at unease, have you tried meditating?"  
  
Keitaro laughs slightly, "Unease, now there's the understatement of the year. My problems go far beyond meditation. Thanks anyway."  
  
"I'd like to help you if you'll let me, just let me know. If there's anyone after you, my sword technique proves most effective."  
  
Keitaro stares into her eyes for a moment then looks out the window. "After dinner I'll tell you what's going on, I don't want to tell anyone else though.it may prove too much for them."  
  
Motoko nods, "I will come back after dinner then."  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Dinner itself was amazing; Keitaro was delighted at the quality and quantity of the food on the table. The whole meal was prepared solely by the youngest member of the house, Shinobu Maehara.  
  
"Wow! I've never tasted anything so delicious!" Keitaro declares hungrily.  
  
"Thank you!" the young cook replies with a bright red face.  
  
Mitsune notices this and slides in a sly comment. "Looks like you got yourself a boyfriend, Shinobu!"  
  
Shinobu's eyes widen in horror and she starts shaking her head. "No, no, no, I'm just pleased he likes my cooking.  
  
Keitaro is too focused on the meal to hear the teasing between the girls but when he finishes the meal he looks to Shinobu. "Excuse me, Shinobu?"  
  
All the girls look at him as she starts to blush again "yes, Keitaro?"  
  
"Would it be possible for me to have seconds and eat it in my room? This stuff is delicious but I've got some stuff to sort out at the same time."  
  
"You want more?" the young girl blushes furiously and Keitaro looks around in confusion as everyone starts teasing her.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
As Keitaro delves into a bowl of rice and dumplings, Motoko knocks his door, receiving a muffled yes to enter.  
  
"So you certainly enjoy the food here at least and Shinobu has really taken a shine to you."  
  
Keitaro swallows the remaining contents of the bowl. "She's a nice girl, she works hard here, and it's good to let people know they're appreciated in life."  
  
Motoko closes her eyes and smiles, "she's started working extra hard, and she likes having you around."  
  
Putting down the bowl, Keitaro puts on a sincere and serious expression. "Are you familiar with demonology?  
  
"Got any names in particular?" she asks.  
  
Keitaro looks out at the dark sky and looks back at her. "Are you familiar with Armanius, the dark devil? He was a God among demons when it came to sorcery."  
  
"The name means nothing to me but go on."  
  
"First.let me bring you up to date on what's going on." Keitaro told her and then proceeded to tell everything from his parents' death to his second soul.  
  
"That's a very good story.hard to believe though.but I'm willing to hear more."  
  
"Centuries ago, Armanius and his demon army were searching Japan for a young woman, a key sacrifice to sway the fate of the planet in their favour. Armanius was ambushed by a group of powerful warriors dispatched by several rulers at that time. One of the warriors was Montroel - the one that possesses me now. They trapped the demon with a time displacement that would freeze him in time and space for centuries but before he disappeared he launched a final spell - a mighty earthquake that destroyed most of three major cities, one of which the girl was hiding."  
  
"The demon killed her?"  
  
"She escaped - barely - but only because the warriors used up all of their energy to absorb the negative energy. All the warriors died of exhaustion, the dark demon was plunged into nothingness and the surviving armies killed or scattered the remaining demons."  
  
"So what's going on now?" Motoko enquires.  
  
"Montroel is free.the spell only lasts a certain period of time and it's over and three of his most powerful demons are trying to find the 'young woman' and complete the prophecy they were denied years ago."  
  
"Why didn't they kill the demon all those years ago instead of trapping him?"  
  
"They didn't have a powerful enough spell to wound him let alone kill him. It was their only choice."  
  
"So the young girl.is she a resident of Hinata House by any chance?" Motoko asks seriously.  
  
Keitaro stares into the kendo girl's eyes. "It's not as straight forward as you might think."  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!!!" Motoko squeals slightly as the pair walk down the hallway.  
  
"I'm afraid not but I told you it wasn't straight forward."  
  
"So what do we do now?"  
  
"I'm afraid that the demons might attack Hinata House and as you're one of the most powerful residents I want you in charge of evacuating the other residents. I want you to work out the safest routes out. I don't want you to help me; I don't need you to risk your life."  
  
"Will you be able to handle the demons?"  
  
"Maybe, I stand a slim chance but I always hang onto hope.I've been holding onto a childhood promise for years now so why not this? "  
  
"What IS the prophecy anyway?"  
  
"On the first day, the sky will be blotted out by a black aura like no other. On the second day, madness will strike the people of the planet. On the third and final day, the great dark demon shall rise from his dwelling place and slaughter the human race."  
  
Motoko remains silent on hearing this and swallows hard. "How will we know if the prophecy is close to being fulfilled?"  
  
"A great storm will rise before the deciding battle - like it did centuries ago. The battle was fought under high winds, heavy rain and a brutal storm."  
  
The pair enter the sitting room where the girls are watching TV, although Mitsune spots them together and raises an eyebrow and a drunken grin.  
  
Aunt Haruka turns to Keitaro "Nephew, there's a huge storm coming over the horizon. The weather man has said it's going to be bad so can you help the girls put the shutters up."  
  
Motoko looks at Keitaro who stares grim-faced at the television set.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Keitaro pulls the shutter down and looks into the distance at the dark clouds looming in the distance. He could feel something evil in the distance, it didn't scare him, it was a familiar feeling to him - or to Montroel.  
  
"You daydreaming, Keitaro?" a voice asks him and he turns to find his Aunt Haruka standing there. "Will you go in and get extra blankets out? We may need them if it's going to be a cold night."  
  
"Sure thing, it's already pretty cold already, I'm sure it'll get worse."  
  
The alert ronin and his concerned aunt step back into Hinata House, where Suu and Naru were drinking hot drinks.  
  
"We've done our share of work; Shinobu is making soup for the night ahead" Naru states.  
  
"Oh, I'll see if she needs any help after I get the blankets out."  
  
"Hey, Keitaro!" a voice slurs. "If you want warmed up tonight."  
  
Keitaro looks at a drunken and scantily-clad Mitsune leaning against a wall and replies, "I think you need to put some clothes on myself."  
  
Mitsune sticks her tongue out at Keitaro who turns to his aunt. "We may need candles in case of a power outage."  
  
"Good thinking, there should be some in the kitchen, I'll go check."  
  
Motoko emerges from the stairway and signals to Keitaro. "Do you want me to help you keep a look out for trouble for you?"  
  
"If you want but I should be able to sense them coming. Just make sure you can get everyone out safely."  
  
"Will you be in your room tonight?" the samurai girl asks him.  
  
"I think I'll sleep on the roof tonight."  
  
"The roof but you'll freeze to death?" she tells him with a voice of concern.  
  
Keitaro shrugs his shoulders. "I'll survive and besides I'll get a good view of the storm, a view of all sides of the dorm and it'll give me space to learn some beginner sorcery."  
  
The two warriors look around at the unknowing residents and fight back the fear that by the morning, they may no longer exist.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
It's time for Keitaro to get serious and learn some new tricks in preparation for the battle against the demons. A romantic encounter on the roof top, a home made weapon utility set and a battle under the stormy sky are all coming in Chapter 4. 


	4. Storm

Have I been slacking or what? I've been really lazy in my writing recently but 2004 is going to be a good year for me. Going to be self- publishing some original fiction and hopefully have a website up as well. I'm going to have to finish this off as well because I hate a story without an ending. Thanks for the patience! I'll start working on chapter 5 soon.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Keitaro stands up on the roof, a strong wind blowing through his hair. He can see the menacing dark clouds looming on the horizon and knows it will only be a matter of time before his fate is decided. Closing his eyes, Keitaro tries to clear all thoughts of doubt from his head but it was tougher than he thought.  
  
"Keitaro?" a voice politely asks from behind. Turning around, he finds Motoko standing there, blanket draped over one arm and a bowl of rice and dumplings in the other.  
  
"What are you doing up here?" he asks, but suspects the reason already.  
  
"All great warriors need to keep their strength up."  
  
Eyeing the food, the demon hunter sighs, "To tell you the truth, I am still hungry and a bit cold..."  
  
Smiling slightly, she steps forward and joins him on the roof, looking over at the storm. "So what are you going to do now?"  
  
Keitaro sits down with his back against a wall. "I'm not sure yet, I'm just going to keep watch for a little while longer."  
  
Lifting up the blanket, Motoko drapes it over his shoulders while he starts eating. "Do you think Hinata House will be in any danger?" she asks with concern.  
  
"It's possible, that's why I've asked you to watch the others, as you seem to be the most experienced warrior here", Keitaro replies after a slight pause.  
  
Standing up, looking at her, bathed in the moonlight, "you are a very beautiful girl, you know?" he compliments.  
  
Motoko goes beetroot at this sudden comment, but she already finds herself drawn to him, and within moments they are sharing a passionate kiss on the roof.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"Anyone know where Keitaro went?" Aunt Haruka asks the girls, after being unable to find him in his room.  
  
Suu grins slightly, "I saw Motoko taking food and a blanket up to the roof earlier, I haven't seen her for a while."  
  
Mitsune holds her chin in her hand, smiling, "Motoko, the sly little...I'm gonna have to have a word with her about this!"  
  
"What's he doing on the roof in this weather?" his Aunt ponders.  
  
Naru and the others just look at each other blankly, until Mitsune broke out in a big grin, "I wonder what they're both doing on the roof now." Shinobu goes beetroot at the thought.  
  
Keitaro and Motoko stand on the balcony, watching the storm grow closer and closer, rain now pouring from the dark clouds. "Do we have any knives handy?"  
  
"Why do you ask?" she asks, puzzled.  
  
"I need to arm myself yet and I'll need some chains and some small blades. It's my weapon of choice."  
  
"Help yourself to what you can find in the kitchen. I'll see what I can do about chains."  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
When Keitaro enters the kitchen, he finds Naru in an apron washing the dishes, so he coughs slightly. "Have you got any spare knives I can use?"  
  
"Keitaro! Knives? Erm...we have a drawer full of them but what do you need them for?"  
  
"Just making something..." Keitaro replies as he turns around to rummage through the drawer.  
  
As Naru watches him carefully, something takes over her and she turns back to the sink, lifting out a large butcher knife from the sink. She stares at it for a few seconds before turning back to Keitaro. Stepping forward quickly, she raises the knife and prepares to plunge it into his back.  
  
While sorting through the drawer unaware, Keitaro's sixth sense kicks in at the proper moment and he dodges to the side as the sharp edge wedges itself into the drawer. Launching himself back towards his opponent, Keitaro shoulder-barges his assailant, not realising it is Naru and causes her to lose balance and crash to the ground.  
  
"Naru!!!" he utters, "what are you doing?"  
  
Getting back up to her feet again, she thrashes the knife about wildly and looks at him angrily. Stepping back, Keitaro prepares to kick the blade out of her hand but would that stop any further attacks? He doubted it. The lunge comes but he can't make the kick and has to dodge again, acquiring a rip through his shirt. "Only one thing for it..." Keitaro decides.  
  
As Naru takes another stab, the demon hunter evades to the side and launches a spiritual attack. Clenching his fist, he opens the palm of his other hand and strikes her, fist to the stomach and palm to the chest. The attack would stop her heart for a few seconds but it would also snap her out of the spell she was under.  
  
Unfortunately at the moment he struck her and Naru hit the floor, knife skidding across the ground, Mitsune walks in.  
  
"Naru! Keitaro, what the hell are you doing?" she shouts as she rushes to her injured friends side. As he steps forward to explain, he glimpses a green symbol fading from the back of her hand...a possession spell.  
  
Hearing the commotion, the other occupants enter the room, led by Motoko, who is holding a few chains in her hands. After seeing the fallen Naru, she looks up at Keitaro. "I have to go now, Motoko, give me the chains and look after the others", Keitaro tells her as he took the knives he found.  
  
Motoko nods and passes him the chains carefully while the other occupants look on bewildered. Throwing open the back door, the demon hunter racesout into the pouring rain and into the dark forest ahead.  
  
Aunt Haruka watches Keitaro leave and turns to Motoko, "just what is going on here?"  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Crouching behind some bushes, Keitaro fixes the blades and the chains together, looking around every few moments to check for the sorcerer in question. That was a close proximity spell cast on Naru and he had a feeling that whoever cast it is nearby.  
  
"So, you going to try to stop me?" a voice asks from within the shadows.  
  
Keitaro stands up, "I'll go one better and kill you."  
  
Looking around, trying to track the voice, Keitaro cautiously moves in and out of the trees looming overhead. Where was he hiding?  
  
"So, tell me, demon, what is your name?" Keitaro asks, hoping to track it by the reply it gives.  
  
"My name is Vacilant the Great, Emperor of the Shadow Demons."  
  
Keitaro makes his move and threw a blade but it only strikes hard wood...a tree in the shadows. Bringing the knife back by winding the chain attached to it, he spins a chain with his other hand, listening intently for movement.  
  
"Nice throw, but you were way off!" the demon goads.  
  
Moving with great speed, Keitaro spins around and throws the second dagger, slicing the air but nothing else. Hearing it land splash in a puddle, he quickly reeled it in and dangled the chain over his arm. Keitaro was finding it hard to concentrate now as the heavy rain and slippery ground was starting to hamper his progress.  
  
"Want to try again?" the demon asks from its hiding place.  
  
Gritting his teeth, Keitaro threw two blades this time but again, they only hit wood. Scanning the shadows, Keitaro kept his calm and waits for the voice again but he didn't need to wait for long as the demon drops from above and crashes down in front of him, causing him to step back and slip in the mud, falling on his back.  
  
Vacilant is black in colour, apart from three beady, red eyes, and he is also larger than Keitaro and as he tries to get up, his foot slips from beneath him and he lands on his back again much to the demon's amusement.  
  
"Three strikes...you're out!!!" it hollers as it raises its clawed hand to slash down at Keitaro but suddenly a large explosion causes Vacilant to fly back and crash into a tree.  
  
What happened? Keitaro wonders as he looks behind him to see the Hinata girls emerge from the shadows.  
  
"Motoko! What are you doing here? Why are they here? Get them out of here now before he gets up!" Keitaro shouts, managing to get back on his feet.  
  
"So you have allies?" Vacilant asks as he emerges from the broken bark of the tree he struck. "No matter, I'll finish them too!"  
  
Keitaro is quick to react and three of his blades embed themselves in the demons torso. "You think you can stop me with these ridiculous weapons?" it laughs as it moves forward.  
  
A loud boom sounds and Vacilant ducks as a missile whistles through the air and destroys a tree in the distance.  
  
"I missed!" Suu utters, as she sits cross-legged on top of a miniature tank, umbrella held over her by Shinobu.  
  
"I think you missed me", Vacilant growls, getting back on his feet. Then he realises that Keitaro is missing. "Where did he go?"  
  
Leaping off the thick branch above him, a chain wraps around Vacilant's neck, blade ending up across his throat to his horror. As Keitaro lands on the ground, he pulls the chain hard and the demon falls to his knees, throat cut open.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
The girls, Keitaro and his Aunt were all indoors now, drinking hot cocoa, Keitaro wrapped in a warm blanket. "So is it all over?" Motoko asks after a moment of silence.  
  
"Until the storm stops, there will be a constant threat to Hinata House."  
  
"It's hard to believe this is really happening", his Aunt proclaims, smoking a cigarette.  
  
"I'm sorry for not telling anyone but it's pretty hard to believe."  
  
"I have to apologise for attacking you earlier", Naru states, "I didn't know what I was doing though."  
  
"Yeah, and I'm sorry too, for yelling at you...but walking in and seeing you attack Naru..."  
  
"Its fine, apologies accepted, you were under someone else's influence and you were just acting naturally. Anyone else would have acted the same."  
  
"One thing that Motoko left out though was the identity of the girl that the demons need. Will you tell us who it is? We think we have a right to know" Naru asks.  
  
"So the young girl, is she a resident of Hinata House by any chance?"  
  
Motoko asked him that question earlier and he replied much to her disbelief. Keitaro scans the faces of the occupants, all of them showing concern at the thought that it might be them or one of their friends.  
  
Keitaro sips his hot chocolate and pauses for a moment before starting again, "be prepared because it's not as straight forward as you think..."  
  
As he explains the situation, there is a chorus from all the residents except Motoko...  
  
"NO WAY!!!"  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Just WHO is the mystery girl? The identity is revealed (at last) in the next chapter as well as the final battle to stop the prophecy. Keitaro battles the sorcerer behind it all with the aid of the Hinata girls but what will happen when Hinata House catches fire and traps Shinobu inside? Find out in Chapter 5. 


	5. Sacrifice

Wow! Didn't expect all this feedback so thanks to everyone who has left a comment about my fanfic so just who is the girl the demons need? Motoko? Shinobu? Naru? This is the penultimate chapter (second to last) so chapter 6 is going to be the 'grand finale' for Keitaro and the Hinata girls but will it all end happily ever after for them?  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"NO WAY!!!" the girls' chorus, even his Aunt Haruka drops her cigarette in disbelief but Motoko just shifts uneasily in her seat.  
  
The girls look at one another again, then after an awkward silence, Naru speaks up, "so YOU'RE the girl?" she asked, just to verify what she had just heard, hoping she just misheard Keitaro.  
  
Suu leant forward slightly and squinted at Keitaro, "you look like a guy to me."  
  
There was an awkward silence again among the girls yet Keitaro just calmly drank his cocoa. Despite the current revelation, the girls were relieved that they were not the target of a demon sacrifice.  
  
"So can you explain...how?" Haruka asked, not sure how to take this. First she learnt that his parents were dead, then that he is a demon hunter and now that he is also female!  
  
"It goes like this: when the girl that the demons were after eventually died of natural causes, she was granted a second life, reincarnated to be precise. However, she knew that servants of Armanius would be seeking her again. So they reincarnated her as a male to make her harder to locate – although it was only a matter of time until it happened. That was why Montroel really possessed me, but I doubt I would have believed that story if he had told me it."  
  
"So, if you're the one the demons are after...shouldn't we be protecting you?" Mitsune asked.  
  
Keitaro smiled slightly, "I have Montroel to protect me, just worry about your own safety."  
  
"If I remember correctly, it was us that just saved your life a few minutes ago!" Haruka pointed out.  
  
The girls nodded in agreement and looked at Keitaro waiting for his response. "You girls have no idea how dangerous this is going to get."  
  
Naru stood up and declared on behalf of the group, "well, this is our home and we're going to fight for it!"  
  
Suu seconded the motion and jumped up from her seat, she was followed by Shinobu who stood up, putting a brave face on. The rest of the girls soon followed suit with Haruka grinning in the background. This was one battle Keitaro wasn't going to win.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Keitaro and Motoko were sheltered under umbrellas and balanced on opposite sides of the roof while the storm raged on overhead. The clouds were now as dark as the night itself and the rain was coming down in torrents but they were on watch while the rest of the household prepared for the night ahead.  
  
Suu was upgrading her various mechanical devices and strategically placing them around the area while the others took their most valued possessions and prepared to evacuate the Inn if needed.  
  
Shinobu chose to cook and hand-deliver the meals to the occupants, while they cleared their rooms. She planned to clear her own room out afterwards.  
  
Instead of venturing onto the roof, however, she left their meals just inside the entrance and shouted out to them, leaving once she saw them coming.  
  
Motoko and Keitaro sat opposite each other, eating their dinner in silence. As they listened to the rain beat against the windows, Motoko spoke up.  
  
"Can I ask you a personal question?"  
  
Keitaro looked up his bowl and nodded slightly, "what do you want to know?"  
  
"What were you like before the possession?"  
  
Keitaro closed his eyes momentarily, "I was the opposite of what I am now – cowardly, stupid, and unpopular...in a way Montroel brought out the best in me."  
  
"What are you going to do after this is all over? Will you be staying here?" Motoko asked out of curiosity.  
  
"Probably...nowhere else to go, do I?" Keitaro replied and tried to concentrate on his meal.  
  
Motoko kicked herself; she couldn't have asked a stupider question.  
  
Keitaro stopped eating for a second and looked towards the balcony, "warn the others, it's time!"  
  
The kendo expert immediately sprung up and spilled the remainder of her dinner over the floor. She approached an extremely large gong that Suu had provided them with, and struck it as hard as she possibly could, the sound resonating throughout the Inn. Everyone heard it and knew it was time to get moving.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Keitaro made his way over the slippery roof tiles and found he was face-to-face with a small group of demons. There were ten of them, all his size; they all looked like shadows, no faces, just black with claw-tipped fingers and toes, probably handy as a camouflage technique for an easy victory over difficult opponents. Behind the group stood a tall man with grey hair, a red and green cape swirling about his body, and he stared at Keitaro with a grim determination in his eyes.  
  
As the demon hunter stood poised, the man whispered a command and the shadow creatures made their move. They weren't interested in Hinata House, just Keitaro, and they quickly surrounded him within seconds.  
  
"Give up Montroel, the night belongs to us now!" the man declared.  
  
Keitaro turned in a slow circle, ready to defend himself whenever the attack came, "you really think your minions here can stop me, Kamof?"  
  
The man stepped back, "so you know my name already?"  
  
"Yeah, you're a very powerful sorcerer that recruits demons for Armanius, it's a nice job description but you're just another puppet!"  
  
"Is that so? Let's see, shall we? Make him beg for mercy!"  
  
The first attack came from above as one of them leapt up in the air and came hurtling down with great speed. While Keitaro turned to throw a dagger, a second creature attacked from the other side, trying to tackle him to the ground. Jumping slightly, he placed one foot on its back and pushed it to the ground, propelling himself out of the way of the airborne one in time, causing a heap on the ground. As he escaped these two, he found himself about to land in the clutches of a third one and promptly kicked out, striking it in the face and knocking it off the roof. While the remaining creatures regrouped, he leapt off the roof and to the ground below, using his supernatural agility to avoid breaking his legs. He looked out the corner of his eye and spotted the one he kicked off the roof, lying with its back broken on a rock beside the hot springs, then he fled the scene as the other nine followed in hot pursuit.  
  
Meanwhile, the girls were gathered in the living-room, Motoko watching over them.  
  
"So when can we go?" Shinobu asked, worried.  
  
"I don't know", Motoko replied, "there's still a lot of noise going on."  
  
The girls listened intently as various bangs and thuds could be heard around the house. Mitsune drank some sake to 'relax' her as she calmly put it.  
  
"Do you think Keitaro is all right by himself?" Suu asked.  
  
Motoko pretended not to hear and just followed the noises echoing throughout the walls. "I'm going to see if the coast is clear. Don't go anywhere! Naru, you're in charge!"  
  
"Me? What am I meant to do?" Naru cried out in despair and just looked on as Motoko raced off.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Keitaro threw his dagger at the approaching demon but it ducked, but allowed the blade to impale one of the shadow creatures after him. As the target monster stood up slightly to look back at where the dagger struck, Keitaro wrapped the chain it was attached to around its neck and started to strangle it.  
  
As he does so, another demon attacked from the side and lashed out at his face. Dodging to the side, Keitaro retaliated with a forceful kick to its stomach and sent it staggering backwards a bit. As he kicked out, he felt the chain he was holding being pulled from his grip and he found the demon he was strangling pulling the chains with its clawed hands. Keitaro was not only losing his grip but also his footing and he found himself being pulled towards it, feet struggling to find a hold in the muddy earth.  
  
Motoko leapt in at this point and delivered a killer strike to the demon, before taking position beside Keitaro.  
  
"What are you doing here? Where are the others?" he asked, concerned.  
  
"They're safe inside, Naru is watching them, we were worried you might need some help and they were right by all means."  
  
Motoko spotted Kamof looking down at them from above, "I'll let you handle the demons and I'll tackle the intruder on the roof!"  
  
"No! Motoko! He's too powerful!" Keitaro shouted but the howling wind and the lashing rain drowned out his voice and before he could follow her, the demons attacked again.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
Kamof watched as Motoko made her way up to the roof with impressive agility and speed and soon stood facing her as she landed nearby and wielded her sword, a look of disgust on her face.  
  
"I'm impressed...but leave before you regret it", he warned.  
  
"You attack my friend at my own home; this fight is as much mine as his."  
  
"If you insist on being so persistent then show me what you've got."  
  
Motoko lunged forward, angrily, and launched a ki wave down the roof. Tiles were ripped off as it travelled at breakneck speed and exploded in a mix of dust, rain and tiles on contact. When she gained a visible lock on him, however, she found that it had no effect whatsoever and he pretended to examine himself for injuries, mocking her.  
  
Motoko glared at him, "you dare mock me?"  
  
"If that was meant to be a strong attack, you might as well leave before I show you true power."  
  
She placed a foot forward and was about to make another attack when Kamof's eyes glowed green and he held his hands out in front as if he was strangling someone. Suddenly, Motoko felt her throat tighten and she was lifted in the air slightly, legs dangled as she was held helpless in mid- air. Then he moved his hands to the side and opened them and she was dropped off the edge of the roof, rolled down the slope of the side and landed in the hot springs.  
  
"That was a pathetic attempt if I've ever seen one", he commented.  
  
"KAMOF!!!" Keitaro shouted, as he dodged through the remaining demons and made his way to the sorcerer. As he landed on the roof with Kamof, he stared down at the hot spring, and saw Motoko's head emerge from the water. She was alive but breathing hard.  
  
"Your friend was foolish to challenge me, and it seems you are too."  
  
Kamof made a gesture with his hand and the remaining demons stood ground down below and just watched. "It's just us two now...can you do better than your friend?"  
  
Keitaro spun around and hurled a dagger towards him but the sorcerer just caught it in his hand and grinned. "Was that meant to hurt?"  
  
"No..." Keitaro replied, "This was!"  
  
Using all the force in his body he yanked the chain and the dagger sliced up the inside of Kamof's hand. He clutched his hand and cursed at Keitaro, who had already launched his second dagger.  
  
Kamof was smarter than the others, though, and he stamped down on the ground and caused a number of tiles to shoot up and deflect it. His hand had healed from the attack Keitaro made and he flexed his newly fixed hand. "Now it's my turn."  
  
Keitaro prepared for the attack and he heard an immense rumbling in the clouds and a lightning bolt came down and blasted a great hole in the ground between them. Inside Hinata House was havoc as televisions and electrical appliances exploded and caused an inferno within the home.  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
"No!" Motoko declared weakly as her home became engulfed in flame. She was still in pain from Kamof's attack on her but she needed to do something.  
  
Keitaro and Kamof stood face-to-face, surrounded by the licking flames. It wouldn't be long before the place collapsed but what about the others...were they alive?  
  
The girls screamed as Aunt Haruka ushered them through the fire and towards the front door. As they all approached the door, the entrance caved in but Shinobu fell back and landed in the inferno.  
  
"Shinobu!" the girls cried out, but they couldn't reach the hand that she was holding out. The heat and the rising flames caused the residents to back off slightly.  
  
"We have to get her out; she'll die if we leave her there!" Naru shouted. An explosion at a nearby window caused the residents to back away and rethink their situation.  
  
"We have to find another way in, we don't have time to get Motoko or Keitaro to do it", Haruka declared.  
  
Shinobu ran out of the main area and up the hallway, she couldn't find a window to drop out of and she was in a state of panic and fear and started crying for help, coughing because of the heavy smoke.  
  
Keitaro launched a kick at Kamof but he evaded to the side and countered with a quick jab to the ribs. The demon hunter sensed and managed to block this attack though too. The sorcerer and the demon hunter were equal when it came to hand-to-hand combat it seemed and the Kamof was far more powerful when it came to sorcery.  
  
Parts of the roof started to cave and he could sense the flames rising higher and higher but while he was moving out of a weakened area, he heard a faint voice nearby and saw Shinobu curled up into a corner, crying, praying for her life.  
  
"Shinobu!" he uttered, did this mean the others were still inside too?  
  
As he turned to look at Kamof, shouts of abuse are heard from the hot springs and Keitaro looked down to see a weak Motoko being dragged out of the water by the remaining shadow demons and surrounded on land.  
  
"Hey! You said it was just us two!" Keitaro stated.  
  
"Indeed I did, they're just going to have a little fun, that's all."  
  
"Typical, you lying..." Keitaro started, clenching his chain.  
  
Kamof held up a hand, "this is what is known as a checkmate! You can only save one or the other but I can save them both in an instant. All that I need in return is your life!"  
  
Keitaro gritted his teeth, "so I can either save them and seal the fate of mankind or let one of the girls die and probably die saving the other one?"  
  
"If you wish to look at it that way, however, time is running out as we speak so make your decision now - the girls or your life?"  
  
*********************************************************************  
  
What will happen to Keitaro? Will he sacrifice Motoko or Shinobu for the safety of mankind? Is the prophecy about to be fulfilled? All the answers will be revealed in chapter 6 because it is the final chapter!!! 


	6. Loss

Well, at last, I bring the final section, it's short, but I couldn't think of much to put in it. I've been really slack in my writing but I'm going to change that very soon. Well, hope you enjoy this part but the reviews will tell me so.

* * *

Keitaro glared at Kamof, who had assured his victory, using cunning and ruthlessness. He knew he was going to be in for a tough battle but he didn't expect anyone else to be dragged into it. 

"So what is to be? Your life or theirs?" the sorcerer asked, arms folded. "There is nothing you can do except choose."

Keitaro looked down at Motoko, at the mercy of the demons, while his ears picked up the faint cries of Shinobu, the fire getting ever closer. It was his fault they were in this situation…they didn't deserve this.

_"Keitaro…listen carefully…I have an idea…"_

"Give me your answer now or suffer the consequences!" Kamof demands impatiently.

"Keitato stares at him for a short while, then a faint smile flickers on his face, much to Kamof's surprise. "Sure, here's my answer!"

The young male leaps up and back somersaults down to where Shinobu is, hurling a dagger through the air towards him simultaneously. The sorcerer bats it away with his hand angrily. "You really think you can win? You have just sentenced your friend to death! Kill the girl!" he orders, pointing down at her but is shocked at what he finds.

All the demons are dead around her and Motoko is standing firm, glaring at Kamof with burning hatred. "If you're going to finish someone, best do it yourself!"

Kamof glares for a second then slightly laughs, "you are nothing but a bug compared to me, but if you want to die by my hands then so be it!"

The demon sorcerer leaps in the air and hurtles down towards Motoko at an amazing speed, dark energy forming around his fist, grin pasted on his face. Smashing into the ground, fist first, the sorcerer causes a devastating cave-in, followed by an explosion of pure negative energy.

* * *

Keitaro had made an almost perfect landing and was greeted by Shinobu who grabbed him in an unbreakable grip. "Help me, Keitaro!" 

Looking at the barrage of flames, he pulled a blanket off a nearby bed and wrapped it around her. "Hold on, tight, this is going to be close…"

* * *

Looking down the crater, Kamof turns around to go back to Keitaro when a voice called out. "You call that power?" 

"WHAT?" Kamof exclaims. "It-it-it's IMPOSSIBLE!!! How did you survive that?"

Standing high in a tree, Motoko looked down with a mocking smile, "guess you're not as quick as you thought!"

"I don't know where you suddenly got the energy to fight back so well, but it will end NOW!!!"

A lightning bolt incinerates the tree but Motoko is already airborne and heading towards the sorcerer, kendo sword in air. She slashes down but he jumps back to avoid the attack.

'Where has she picked up this increase in power?' Kamof wondered as he defended himself.

"It's time to finish this!" Motoko declared and raised her sword into a Kendo stance. She stepped forward and unleashed a massive ki wave, which tore up the ground.

"This move again? Don't you remember what happened last time?" Kamof reminded her, lifting his hand up to cancel out the attack but as it drew closer he realised the technique used.

"Im-im-impossible!" he uttered as the ki wave tore through him, ripping his hand and arm in half and then his body in half vertically.

"I did it..." she mumbled before turning to Hinata House and unleashing a powerful ki wave towards the nearest wall revealing Keitaro carrying Shinobu on his back.

* * *

The rest of the girls joined them soon enough, Keitaro was sat with Motoko sleeping, head resting on his lap, Shinobu staring at the flames as they consumed the house. 

The girls greeted Shinobu, hugging her and checking she was all right. Haruka went to speak to Keitaro.

"So, it's over?" she asked.

"Yeah, but the place was torn up, I'm sorry, this was my fault…"

"Don't worry, Keitaro, we'll get it built up again, besides the rain is coming on again so it'll help put out the flames."

Keitaro wasn't assured and looked down at Motoko sadly.

"That was quite something she done out there, I never realised she could fight like that."

"She can't…" Keitaro mumbled.

"Hmm?"

_"Keitaro…listen carefully…I have an idea…I want you to go after Shinobu…when you land, I'm going to leave your body and transfer to Motoko. She has more experience with the sword and I can amplify her power with my own."_

"Is he back in your body now?"

"Yeah, the strain was too great for Motoko, she could only take it for so long after using up so much ki already."

"So everything is all right now?" Haruka asks.

Motoko opens her eyes slightly and half-smiles at Keitaro who smiles back, "yeah…I guess it is."

* * *

Well, if you want me to do a follow-up to Final Destiny then just ask. I was hoping to do a Blood the Last Vampire fanfic but there isn't a slot for them her, which isn't fair. Was also thinking of a Blood the Last Vampire/Witch Hunter Robin crossover and a Noir fanfic. Anyone think I should have a go? 


End file.
